International Rice Genome Project

CSREES is among several U.S. and international organizations that contributed to the finished DNA blueprint of the rice genome in 2005. Rice is one of the most significant food crops worldwide, and the genetic sequence of rice could be used to improve the nutritional quality of rice and maximize rice yields. Analysis of the genome was reported in the August 11, 2005, issue of the journal Nature, revealing the location and sequence of more than 37,500 genes.

With a worldwide investment of $150 million, the genome sequence was completed 3 years ahead of schedule. CSREES collaborated with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to fund the U.S. rice genome sequencing project, a part of the wider International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP). CSREES participated through the National Research Initiative, its flagship funding opportunity.

IRGSP, led by Japan, included researchers from the U.S., China, Taiwan, South Korea, India, Thailand, France, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. The 12 chromosomes of the rice genome, totaling approximately 389 million bases, were divided among participating countries. U.S. researchers sequenced all of chromosomes 3 and 10 and parts of chromosomes 11 and 12, which required sequencing approximately 90 million of the 389 million bases of DNA.

Genes, or “coding DNA,” are segments of DNA that contain the chemical recipe that determines particular traits. Scientists now estimate that rice has about 37,500 genes, located along threadlike, tightly coiled strands of DNA called chromosomes. Genes, however, are only about three percent of rice DNA; the rest is "noncoding" DNA. These noncoding regions of the genome contain the information that determines when and where genes are active – for example, in which cell types and at what stages in growth and development of rice.

More than $15 million was competitively awarded by CSREES, NSF, and DOE, with more than $6.5 million of CSREES funding awarded to The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) and the University of Arizona. Researchers at the University of Arizona collaborated with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, Washington University, and the University of Wisconsin. These groups coordinated their research with privately funded U.S. groups, including Rutgers University, Monsanto, and Syngenta.

The finished genome sequence has already led to the discovery of specific gene functions, which may help in fighting diseases and physiological stress. It may also lead to improved rice breeding, including the production of higher quality rice in less time.

Rice has the smallest genome of all cereal grass crops and was the first crop to be genetically sequenced. Since rice is genetically similar to other grasses, the rice genome could provide important genetic information about grasses like wheat, barley, sorghum, and corn.

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